Alexander Kesler is the founder and CEO of INFUSEmedia, a leading demand generation firm. Alexander leads a team of digital marketing experts who specialize in B2B lead generation, content marketing and syndication, ABM and intent strategies, data processing and validation, programmatic media buying and brand amplification.
In case you missed it, start here with an introduction to B2B digital event amplification strategies and read part two here. This is the final part of this series.
Have you ever left a corporate event or conference with a bag filled with… nothing? Pens, keychains, stacks of flyers — at worst, all they do is clutter your life until you eventually throw them away; at best, your pen collection grows.
Luckily, there are alternatives out there through virtual event bags. These bags are more environmentally friendly — not to mention easier to manage. Not only are you reducing waste, but you can also say goodbye to stuffing bags for hours only to have them end up in the trash. Furthermore, virtual event bags allow your sponsors to submit their own content directly, so you don’t have to source flyers from several different companies yourself.
Virtual event bags are also great because they allow you to get creative with your promo materials. These bags are actually virtual accounts that attendees can access from anywhere, enabling you to run contests, offer discount codes or host online promotions.
Live streaming is immensely popular, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t use it to promote your event. Assign an employee to live stream and live Tweet your event to show your followers what they’re missing (if they’re not there). You can offer your viewers a live tour of the venue at the beginning of the day, stream keynotes, demo products, host live interviews with employees or sponsors — the possibilities are endless. And the good news is, thanks to the Stories feature available on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, you can choose whether these clips will stay pinned on your corporate profile as highlights or expire after 24 hours. Another advantage of this feature is that you can stream as much as you want without cluttering your viewers’ feeds.
Your event is a terrific opportunity to learn more about your audience and see which tactics work and which don’t. There is so much useful data that you can gather before, during and after your event, including:
Measuring ROI is one of the most important steps in the process. To do it properly, you need to set marketing goals and determine which metrics map to each goal. One metric you may want to track is lifetime customer value, which provides hard data on how profitable your event was. You can also benchmark your data against your competitors’ and your previous events to determine your event’s effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
You’ve spent all those resources on creating engaging content to attract attendees, so why not reuse it? There are many ways to repackage, repurpose, and recycle trade show content. Anything that shows how successful the event was, including videos (streams, presentations, interviews), podcasts or blog post recaps will keep your leads warm. Furthermore, asking attendees to take part in surveys or studies will give you a better idea of how you can improve the event next time.
Events are a great opportunity to create and build strong client relationships, but with a bit of planning and innovation, they can be so much more. By following these tips, you will not only increase attendance and create buzz around your event, but you’ll also gain new leads for future campaigns and generate valuable metrics.
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